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Surging Generator Troubleshooting Help Needed

#1

O

Ocean909

A friend dropped off an ETQ TG-3600 he found at the curb and asked if I could get it running.
Tank and carb were full of water so I cleaned everything up and generator surges no matter what I've tried. It surges on idle and under load.
Here's whats been done.

gen model ETQ TG-3600
engine model ETQ-200
Engine family 5ETQS.1962E1
196 cc

Removed tank and am running fuel from a bottle.
Cleaned OEM carb thoroughly including Main jet, pilot jet, needle etc.
replaced all 3 gaskets between intake and air filter
tried adjusting pilot needle
sprayed carb cleaner on all mating surfaces to see if surging stopped
drilled out pilot jet
drilled out main jet
checked spring on governor arm was removing slack
Tried another aftermarket carb...still surges

I'm at a loss at what to try next. many thanks to those who reply.


#2

F

Forest#2

What happens if you add little bit of choke?

Does the engine idle smooth if you manually hole the throttle to idle?

Post up a link to the carb that you bought and installed? (so we cam get an idea of the type carb you are flogging)


#3

O

Ocean909

Thanks for the reply.
A little choke does nothing. I have to choke it almost closed to get it anywhere near smooth then it stalls.
Haven't tried holding the throttle at idle yet. Will try when I don't feel like taking a hammer to the thing. Probably tomorrow.
the carb is the following.


#4

F

Forest#2

If holding it a idle gets a good low idle.
Disconnect the governor spring or you can leave the governor spring connected but slowly increase the carb throttle to about 3000 rpm manually.
If defeating the governor (if taking the governor out of control gets a smooth run the governor spring is weak or connected to the wrong hole in the arm. (most likely spring weak if a Bubba has not installed wrong spring.
I work on small emergency gen's electrically and mechanically but not familiar with that one. I'm just giving you some basics.


#5

O

Ocean909

Thanks for the help. Manually working the throttle made a big difference. Guess Ill be playing with the governor springs for a bit.

I can't find any info about this gen anywhere. Its 196cc so I'm guessing its a clone of a GX200. The main jet on the OEM carb is shot. Any idea what size Honda main jet this thing would use? I don't have much experience with Honda's and the OEM carb seems to be a better copy than the one from amazon and I'd like to use it.

Again, thanks for the help.


#6

F

Forest#2

So you got a smooth slow speed and top end when the governor was BYPASSED? (reason I'm aking is you say you are looking for carb parts.
Why do you need carb parts if the engine ran smooth??????????????


#7

O

Ocean909

Its smoother.... The carb on there now is the amazon knockoff. Its about as cheap as it gets. The one that was originally on the gen is of much higher quality. I had a hell of a time getting the main jet out then drilled it out. Its trash. I'd like get a new main jet in there but am unsure what size orifice to order. I'm guessing its somewhere between #72 - #80

Wish I could get a parts breakdown on this but so far no dice.


#8

F

Forest#2

Ocean909 said:
Its smoother.... The carb on there now is the amazon knockoff. Its about as cheap as it gets. The one that was originally on the gen is of much higher quality. I had a hell of a time getting the main jet out then drilled it out. Its trash. I'd like get a new main jet in there but am unsure what size orifice to order. I'm guessing its somewhere between #72 - #80

Wish I could get a parts breakdown on this but so far no dice.
Click to expand...
I've got into the same thing with some small gen carbs, especially the China Honda clone engines.
A Honda engine carb is about only thing that is priced reasonable about Honda. I've put Honda carbs onto the China clones. What I did was find the close to same size Honda engine model then look for it's replacement carb, then pictures with measurements as to mounting and throat, then on gens YOU HAVE to pay attention to the choke arrangement and air filter mounting.
Most generally the best pictures were on fleece bay then when I narrowed it down I would buy from Amazon prime and I could return for a complete refund it it was not correct. (usually less than $20 but lots of time selecting such)

I see that your current carb at least has a jet adjustment, probably low speed jet.

Good luck to you.


#9

S

slomo

Ocean909 said:
Its smoother.... The carb on there now is the amazon knockoff. Its about as cheap as it gets. The one that was originally on the gen is of much higher quality. I had a hell of a time getting the main jet out then drilled it out. Its trash. I'd like get a new main jet in there but am unsure what size orifice to order. I'm guessing its somewhere between #72 - #80

Wish I could get a parts breakdown on this but so far no dice.
Click to expand...
They offer a plastic and metal choke lever engine. Which is yours? Use the links below. Parts for that engine are cheap.

Parts System - ETQ - TG3600 - TG3600 - Plastic Choke Handle - Page 1 - Generator Guru - Parts and Spares

generatorguru.com generatorguru.com

Parts System - ETQ - TG3600 - TG3600 - Metal Choke Handle - Generator Guru - Parts and Spares

generatorguru.com generatorguru.com

Here is your full carb rebuild kit.

generatorguru.com

Carburetor Repair Kit 73219971

Portable Generator Parts Specialists stocking over 1 Million maintenance grade parts for over 1000 brands of portable electricity generators. Free online interactive Repair Guides and help from our Generator Engineers. We hold stock so you can fix it fast. Warehouses and Repair Centers in US...
generatorguru.com generatorguru.com


#10

O

Ocean909

Thanks very much for the find Slomo. Its the plastic choke lever. I've never heard of this site before but its cheap enough that I'll probably give them a try.

Thanks again to both of you, its truly appreciated.


#11

R

RevB

Ocean909 said:
A friend dropped off an ETQ TG-3600 he found at the curb and asked if I could get it running.
Tank and carb were full of water so I cleaned everything up and generator surges no matter what I've tried. It surges on idle and under load.
Here's whats been done.

gen model ETQ TG-3600
engine model ETQ-200
Engine family 5ETQS.1962E1
196 cc

Removed tank and am running fuel from a bottle.
Cleaned OEM carb thoroughly including Main jet, pilot jet, needle etc.
replaced all 3 gaskets between intake and air filter
tried adjusting pilot needle
sprayed carb cleaner on all mating surfaces to see if surging stopped
drilled out pilot jet
drilled out main jet
checked spring on governor arm was removing slack
Tried another aftermarket carb...still surges

I'm at a loss at what to try next. many thanks to those who reply.
Click to expand...
Drilled out jets? 🤫🙄


#12

D

DinosaurMike

Just an FYI, many antique car owners have found that many of the Chinese repro parts are junk. Usually it is better to rebuild with a quality kit than buy new junk.


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